Kisoku no Genjutsu
by HoneyHoney
Summary: I want to help Tsunayoshi-kun become a great mafia boss. I want to regain my memories. I don't want to lose the life that I rebuilt in Namimori. And I definately don't need protection. HibariXOC?
1. Reborn!

**(A/n: This story was originally called Teen Mafiosa in Training: Oto Sakura, but I wanted to finalize the title as Kisoku no Genjutsu/Rules to Reality)**

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Kataikyo Hitman Reborn. If I did, Gokudera would have already gotten over Bianchi and Tsuna wouldn't have to die.

* * *

**"We're down to the last two contestants. Oh my golly gosh! They're neck and neck! Who will take the finish line?!"** exclaimed the announcer on the edge of his seat. **"The two are coming to the final obstacle!"**

"Woohoo!" Shredding down the snowy hill was a 13 year old girl with a huge grin patched on her face. She wore a blue and gray snowsuit matched with firey orange goggles on her face.

"Way ta' go, Sakura!" making his way to the girl was Ren, giving her a big high five.

**"Everyone, we just got the photo finish! And the winner is: the revolutionary rookie, Oto Sakura! Congradulations to the big winner!"**

"Alright! I knew you could do it. C'mere you big winner!" Oto flushed sheepishly as her cousin drew her into a tight embrace.

"Um...Ren..!"

"Okay, okay. But congrats! I'm so happy for you!" Ren spoke, letting her go; but not without ruffling her long red hair. She smiled, though.

Oto Sakura the new snowboarding champ! _'I have a feeling that tomorrow will be different than today.'_ she thought.

"Let's celebrate!"

* * *

Little did she know she couldn't be more right...

"Juudaime!"

Sawada Tsunayoshi looked up and saw Gokudera Hayato running up to him. "Good morning, Gokudera-kun!"

"Hey, Tsuna!" called Yamamoto, a little whiles behind them. "It's hard to believe we're in our second week as second years in junior high now."

"What I couldn't believe was that Namimori has a high school branch too."

"Yeah, but it doesn't look like Hibari's going to go anystime soon."

"Oh Juudaime! Did you hear? We're getting a transfer student soon!"

"We are?"

"I heard that, too. They say its a snowboarding champ!"

"Wow, he must be something."

"There are rumors he might be pretty muscular and intimidating, too." Ryohei Sasagawa gazed, lost in his fantasy for a new boxing club member.

* * *

Meanwhile...

_**"ACHOOO!" **_

Ren came through the door holding two cups of hot choclate. "Hey Oto, are you feeling alright? You've been sneezing a lot recently."

_sniff _"...yes, I think."

He put a hand over her forehead and sighed. "Well they do say idiots can't catch colds, but lets not take any chances. Why don't you take a shower and hit the sack?"

"Oka--don't call me an idiot!" Sakura screeched, pounding on Ren, who was clinging to his ribs because of extreme laughter. She left the room obediantly and headed to her room. Her cellphone rang. "Moshi, moshi. _**The**_Dr. Borin?! Tomorrow? Dad already made arrangements for you to be my tutor? But I can't make it to Japan in one d--"

**BOOOOOMMM!**

Sakura coughed from the dust that came down from the now blown-to-bits ceiling. A ladder fell from a helicopter flying dirrectly overhead, and down came a tiny infant in a black suit.

Ren barged into the room. "Oto!"

"Ciossu," spoke the infant, "I'm Reborn. Nice to make your acqaintence Sakura, Ren."

"...um..!" Sakura began, with a serious expression. "Have we met before?" (Sakura-chan, that was soo cute! ahem Back to the story...)

Ren sweatdropped and let out a deep sigh. "Reborn-sama. To what do we owe this pleasant surprise?"

"I have come for my new student, Ms. Oto Sakura here."

_

* * *

_

'I'm going to take care of some business. Don't so anything stupid while I'm gone.

_-Reborn.'_

Tsuna scratched his head as he read the note. _What business would an infant have at this time of day?_

"Reborn…"

* * *

"Now?" Ren asked. "Oto has shown a good pace in progress for her training up till now."

"Ren?"

"Her father has requested that we quicken that pace. Doubly so, if his _condition_ were to take a turn for the worst."

"Excuse me, but there must be some mistake. My dad isn't—" Sakura gasped, remembering, "by father, do you mean…"

"Yes. I mean your real father. Details later. If we get back from now, we can make it for dinner."

Ren nodded. "You should do as he says. Everything else will be taken care of."

Sakura gave an unsure expression, but grabbed a hold of the ladder, as Ren followed shortly.

"Tsu-kun! Dinner is ready!" Yelled Nana Sawada (Tsuna's mom), from the kitchen.

"Hai."

**CRAAASSHHH!!**

"Waugh!!" Tsuna screamed, having his window shattered.

"Ciossu."

"R-r-r-reborn!"

"Reborn-sama, we could have used the door."

Tsuna averted his gaze from Reborn to the other voice following behind him. "Dino-san!!"

"Dino, you can stop the act. She fell asleep during the trip back."

"Right, I guess my act became a habit." Dino laughed, "Yo, Tsuna."

"Hello." Tsuna glanced curiously again at the girl as Dino laid her down on his bed.

"Let's go to dinner, you two." Reborn spoke, before he could ask. "If you don't make it down there in 10 seconds, you're not going to get anything to eat."

"But you can't even eat that much!"

"I wasn't talking about myself."

"Has anyone seen Enzo?"

**knock, knock**

"Tsu-kun! Oh! You had guests," his mom smiled, "I just wanted to tell you I put your turtle in the bath for you."

"Nooooooo!!"

_**"**__**RROOOAAAARRRR!!**__**"**_

* * *

_75 minutes later_

"Waaahh…."Tsuna sobbed, "I want my life back."

Reborn sipped his coffee. "What life? All you had was a pathetic loser complex, but aside from that..." He hopped in front of Sakura who seemed to have been sleeping (god knows how) through the entire incident.

"Where are we going to leave her to sleep?" Dino spoke, blow-drying Enzo.

"I called someone to plan out her living arrangements."

A figure ran and jumped over the wall then through the window of Tsuna's home. "Ya, infant." (insert Hibari's theme music)

"Ciossu."

"H-h-h-hibari-san! Hibari's going to?!"

Everyone (excluding Reborn) were in deep thought.

_'...she might just have had her life shortened.'_


	2. Mafia Exam Part 1

**

* * *

**

Disclaimer: I'm getting slightly annoyed at writing these. Oh well…I think this chapter is my longest yet.

* * *

_.:Oh morning. Some love it, some don't. It's sometimes full of surprises, which we are almost never ready for:._

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" Gokudera jumped out from is bed, and stared at the girl sleeping on the sofa. If he'd taken a better look, he would have noticed that she'd been wearing his sister, Bianchi's, clothes. "What the hell...?!"

"Nn…? Ren?"

"Wh-wh-wha—who the hell are y--"

"Hayato, why are you so loud in the morning today?" Asked Bianchi, who opened the door. "Oh, you are awake Sakura-san."

"Um, g-g-g-good morning. Thank you for letting me borrow your clothes, Bianchi-san." She spoke, quickly sitting up and bowing her head politely.

"No, I was touched by the love of the one (author: she could mean Hibari, but I'm too scared to put that because he might somehow get into my dreams and bite me to death ) who brought you here."

"Um…love…?" Sakura sweatdropped, but shrugged it off not wanting to think about it any further.

"Here is your uniform. You may change in the bathroom straight down the hall."

"Eh?! Isn't this supposed to be the Namimori school's uniform? I've always wanted to go…!" She stared at the uniform in disbelief. It would seem that her awareness of her situation has gone out the window as she tried it on, excitedly.

_At Sawada Tsunayoshi's house…_

"R-r-r-r-reborn!!"

"What, No Good Tsuna?"

"Was it really okay to leave that girl with Hibari-san?!"

"Hm…I wonder," Reborn stared into the sky, "it's a huge risk, but it might turn out pretty well."

"Tsu-kun! You're going to be late!" said his mom.

"Oh no!" Tsuna cried, nervously grabbing his school bag as he put on his uniform.

Reborn grinned. "Make it to school as if your life depended on it." …And BANG, Tsuna drops on the floor, once the bullet made contact with his forehead.

"REBORN!!" Of course, his clothes ripped off revealing his…oh! Swirl printed underpants! "Get to school as if I were to die! Rrrrgh!!"

* * *

"A-a-ano…! Does it look alright?" Sakura twirled, as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She looked at her stuffed animal backpack as if wanting an answer. "Really? Thank you! I'll be off then!"

It's funny how she forgets that Gokudera is still on his back, sick, from having a glimpse of the Poison Scorpion. _Nngh…that girl…she was from…_

_Flashback to yesterday…_

_Enzo gives a terrifying roar._

"_Aaaah!" Tsuna yelped, watching the giant turtle._

"_Juudaime!!"_

"_Gokudera-kun! Yamamoto!"_

"_Wow, that's some pretty good effects. When did you finish this massive robot?"_

'_Eeep! He still thinks this is a game!' If Tsuna had turned around, he'd have noticed by himself that Sakurawas walking towards Enzo. _

"_Who's the girl?" Gokudera and Yamamoto ask simultaneously noticing her._

"_S-s-sakura-chan!"_

_She was deadpan dazed—sleep walking in a sense. However, dear reader, at this point in the story, that's good. She took a deep breath and whistled a very full and loud tone. The air that came out engulfed the mammoth turtle, and he slowly began to shrink._

"_W-w-what?!"_

_Our dazed, sleep-walking heroine begins falling, as Dino catches her. "Whew."_

"_Interesting…" Reborn grinned._

End of flashback…

_Just who the hell is she?!_

* * *

"YAAAAHHHH!!"

"Eeep!" Sakura screamed as Tsuna dashed past her in his underpants at a high speed. "A-a-ano…what was that?" On que, the dying will flame diminishes, and Tsuna reverts to his regular self.

"Hey there, Sakura!"

"Ren-kun!"

_Ren? But that's Dino-sa—_

"Ciaossu!" A tree to the left shifts sides, and reveals the Acrobaleno, Reborn.

**The class bell for first period rings.**

"Oh no! Class!" They both yelped.

While Sakura and Tsuna were currently running for their lives to their classroom, Reborn and Dino were walking up the stairs to the roof of the school. Luckily, Dino's family was with him or this would have been suicidal for Dino. They shortly reached their destination and Reborn began first. "To the point, Dino; I want the information gathered so far about her."

"Her stats and information have been recorded in this file." Romario placed his suitcase on the floor and opened it up. He drew out a yellow, semi-thick folder that was stuffed mostly with a few samples packed in small packages, but nevertheless had quite a few pages of fine paper to it. "Age 13, Sakura Oto. Next and only other heir available to the Santo family, due to the fact that the others were either assassinated or in critical condition from physical issues. Has a strong case of amnesia and cannot remember anything from before her fifth birthday, after being kidnapped by a rival family. She was later found in Kyoto, Japan by the Chiavorone family, and raised without any information about being part of the mafia. However, this was the XI boss of the Santo family's decision, who is the Vongola IX's best friend who was originally intended for Sakura to be passed to. Likewise, due to the closeness between me and him, we looked after her instead; though not revealing our true identities or nature. Further details are that the Santo familigia's power is matched only by the Vongola, not including they are also ranked the richest. Further information about subjects and training progression such as her ability is also inside."

The five-year old took the file. "Thanks. You all can go now."

"I don't know, the boss grew pretty attached to the girl while growing up with her." One of Dino's subordinates mused.

"Yeah, I know. The boss might cry if he's separated from her." Another teased smirking.

"You guys!" Dino yelped, embarrassed by their comments. The all laughed merrily at his reaction.

* * *

The classroom door to the 2-B suddenly bolted open as Sakura and Tsuna Practically jumped in. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry for being late!" They both said together while bowing up and down at the board…eh? "Eh? Where's the teacher?"

"Tsuna-kun. You're early today!" Kyoko Sasegawa smiled cheerfully, as she walked inside shortly after.

"Ohayo, Kyoko-chan….eh? Early?! But when I read my alarm it said I was an hour late!"

"Tsuna-kun, did you forget it was day-light savings time?"

"Then what about the bell?!"

"There was a notice that it's being fixed today."

"Um…not to interrupt, but can you tell me which way is it to the Reception Room is?" Sakura piped up, holding a piece of paper in hand. She was completely oblivious that Tsuna paled and squeeked at 

inwardly at an insane level. Unbeknownst to Sakura that that one room could be her end. But also unbeknownst to Tsuna, it could mean a very _interesting _beginning. Likewise, Tsuna grabbed a hold of his conscience and started about its…story.

"S-sakura-san! That room is—" Tsuna gulped.

"Oh the reception room? It's one floor below. Are you looking for a teacher?" Kyoko said, before Tsuna could finish.

"Um…yes. I came here early to meet with a teacher." Sakura mumbled, sheepishly.

"Oh then, you'll have to go to the Faculty Room though. The Reception Room was announced to be part of the disciplinary committee's property now."

"Thank you so very much." Sakura smiled, "My name is Sakura Oto. What's your name?"

"Sasegawa. Kyoko Sasegawa, desu. Nice to meet you! Is it okay for me to call you Sakura-chan?"

"Sure! Ah…ano…see you later, Kyoko-chan." And with that, Sakura left for the faculty room. It wasn't long until she realized she forgot to ask where the faculty room actually was. Oh well… it couldn't be too hard to find it…BUMP.

"Oops. I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going." Sakura spoke as she looked up to a rather tall boy.

"Haha. That's okay." The boy stared for a while. "Oh, I know you! You're one of Tsuna's friends. So are you new?" He smiled warmly.

"Ah…hai. I'm looking for the Faculty Room. Do you know where it is?" Sakura replied, returning a smile.

"Yeah, I'll walk you there."

"Oh no! You don't have to!"

He chuckled again. "I'm Takeshi Yamamoto. You're Sakura Oto-chan, right?" She nodded in reply. "It's no big deal anyway, since I came early from practice. Well then, let's go, Sakura-chan."

"E-eh…okay then. From where I was born, we usually call people with similar age by name. Is it okay to call you Takeshi-kun?" She asked, unsure whether or not it's impolite in Japan, as they were walking.

"Sure. People rarely call me by that besides my dad. Oh, here we are. I guess I'll talk to you later. Ja ne!" Yamamoto waved, as he began running. He was in such a hurry that a baseball fell out of his backpack and rolled over to Sakura. Of course, she picked it up and called after him, but being the baseball star of Namimori Junior High, he was too far to hear and too far to catch up to. She sighed, and looked down. She'll have to look for him. It was a big school too. A tiny door behind Sakura opened that revealed a toddler in a black suit. The girl cocked her head. Things like that don't happen every day.

"Ciaossu, Sakura Oto." Reborn grinned, from beyond the door.

"Uh…good morning…?" She replied, staring at the toddler. "Are you my homeroom teacher?"

" I'm Reboyama. I will be substituting on behalf of your other teacher." He said hopping up and into Sakura's arms.

"You look familiar, Sensei. Have we met before?" She asked holding him. _'He must be very intelligent for his age. But…so kaaawwwwwwwaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!'_

"Class is almost starting." Reborn stated, calmly.

"Ano…which class am I in?"

"2-B. Now run."

Without another thought or word, Sakura began another dash to the room she was told.

* * *

Fortunately, she tripped but made a solid dive in front of the door. Right on time, to boot. Reborn kicked open the door and walked into an appalled classroom. _'Reborn!' _Tsuna gasped in horror at the short little guy walking in.

"Class there's a new student that transferred after studying abroad. Get in here."

"H-h-hai!" Sakura yelped, entering.

"Yoderishiku onegaishimasu. I'm Oto Sakura, desu." She said bowing.

"She's also been snowboarding during her time abroad." Reborn added.

"What?! I thought the snowboarding transfer student was a guy!" Gokudera demanded.

"Awesome, to the ETXREME!!" Ryohei yelled dramatically.

"Ah! Hayato-kun, I didn't see you there. Ano…how are you?" Oto cocked her head to the side as she took note of the different comments going on.

"It's not 'How are you?' stupid woman! I think my heart just stopped a minute this morning!"

"W-w-what did I do?!" Aside from Gokudera's…being Gokudera, a first day for most transfer students is bound to be hectic.

Oto's was…well seeing as how her brain works, she'll have to look all over the school again for Yamamoto before giving up. Actually, he was supposed to be in the same classroom at the time she was giving her introductions until he accidentally ate some shiny sushi made by Bianchi who came out of nowhere and left before Oto and Reborn came in. The gleaming packages of death—I mean the nice shiny sushi—was originally for Reborn but seeing that he was nowhere to be found, Yamamoto was a stand-in and being the nice guy he is, there would be no way he'd refuse. We can now see it being called "hectic" would be an understatement. At least her exercise died down to speaking, although being buried by questions from her new classmates.

"Are you Italian, too?"

"Where are you from?"

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"JOIN THE BOXING CLUB! CAN YOU PUSH YOUR LIMIT TO THE EXTREME?!" (Why was he here again…?)

However, they were all silenced when Reboyama (aka Reborn) knocked him out by throwing a chalkboard eraser at his head. The poor guy was going to have to be dragged back o his classroom. "You're noisy." They gulped. The little guy hopped from his desk and onto a stool-version of Leon. He began writing on the board with chalk; it was some kind of intricate expression in a combination with the Roman alphabet and regular numbers. A majority of the class was dumbstruck. It was even twice as long as the last one! Bummer…he looked at Oto now, after finishing. "This is you're entrance exam. Solve it, or you'll be kicked out." Tsuna sobbed. Boy if he were in that position, he…well sure he wouldn't be expelled, but he'd be in a world of hurt, right? "You can ask for the help of Tsunayoshi Sawada."

"E-EEHHH?!" He gasped, eyes like saucer plates.

"Um…no that's alright! I can't trouble Kyoko-chan's friend over something like this. Ano…give me a little bit…" She quietly stared at algebraic expression with chalk in hand. Only fifteen seconds had past and she had lost the class during the midst of her writing. Then, she was done. Everyone (except Reborn and Gokudera) gawked at her answer.

"Correct." Reborn smirked. "You pass. You have what it takes to be mafia."

"Reborn! You're going to have Oto-chan join our family?!"

Yamamoto came through the door, slightly pale, but alright more or less. "Sure, I'm game."

"Now it's time for a real test to see how well you can fight." Reborn smirked.

Insert Hibari's theme song

"Morning, infant."

The class screamed in terror. "Hibari-san?!"

"Good timing." The Acrobaleno turned to the Head Prefect of the Disciplinary Committee.

"Our subordinates have just finished moving Sakura Oto's belongings to the house." Kusakabe reported from behind Hibari. "Is there—" He was caught off guard when the said girl was suddenly right in front of his leader, staring straight at him without many signs of fear.

"…you…have a very violent, mischievous persona yet are all together a very kind person, aren't you?" Oto asked him, looking half dazed.

Hibari grinned wryly at the sudden statement voiced, raising a tonfa. "Oh? I would imagine so."

'Hee! She's going to die!' Tsuna jumped from his seat and protectively in front of Oto. "A-a-ano, Hibari-san, gomen! Sakura-san is…is…"

"Wait, Hibari."

Everyone directed their attention to Reborn. What could he be plotting?

"Remember, I asked you to watch over her. We can't have her dead." He stated.

Hibari frowned. "Right, I guess we can't." However, he did not lower his weapon. Instead, he moved it closer to Oto's head, and…

TAP

Stubbornly, he "lightly" tapped the steel against the girl's forehead. "That'll suffice."

Her forehead burned slightly red. Luckily, there was no bruise or blood. She snapped back to her senses from that. "…ah…"

The infant smiled. "Meet your new body guard, Oto. He's called Hibari Kyouya."

"…Hibari…Kyouya…?"

"Yes, he and one other..." He continued.

"…one other?" She wondered. "Wait. I don't need a body guard! Aside from that, becoming mafia isn't exactly on my 'Possible Careers' list. I can't!"

* * *

*whispers & gossip*

"Mafia? Are they serious?"

"And Hibari-san as her bodyguard? It doesn't matter who the other one is; she'll die!!"

Hibari turned his gaze to the rest of the people in the classroom. "Objections?"

"N-no…" They all replied, cringing in fear.


	3. Multiple Assaults

Author: Ah…to those who have been reading, the chapters have been reorganized a bit and Chapter 2 has some new content. I wanted to keep all the chapters separate in different days so it would be easier to manage…probably.

* * *

Disclaimer: …

* * *

Today was Day 2 of her life at Namimori Junior High. It would seem her schedule consisted of waking up early and munching down on breakfast at the Gokudera residence (Bianchi added a top bunk to a certain ill-tempered punk's bed so no more shocks for him), heading over to Hibari's house (to walk to school together), morning classes (seated behind Kyoko), and lunch (on the roof, occasionally with the Sasegawas but usually with Hibird or Tsuna's group on the roof). This of course had been decided by Reborn.

Day 2 wouldn't have been too bad except…it was a day closer to part 2 of Reborn's so-called Mafia Exam. What could possibly in store?

"Hayato-kun, are you coming to?"

"We go to the same school. What the hell do you think?" He retorted, trailing behind the girl.

"Yes, I know that…! But you don't have to wake up this early to arrive to school. Do you have club or something?"

"Then why are you up early?"

"I have to meet up with--" Oto abruptly looked up and pushed Gokudera into a bush.

"What are you doing?!"

"SHH!!!" She said, hiding there too.

"…"

Three incredibly large men in suits ran up to the block they were at just seconds ago. They looked around nervously as if they lost sight of something.

"That's funny; I thought I saw the girl here." The bald one spoke, scratching his head.

"Damn that guy for interfering! We'll get him…that Ercole Sakura for contacting Reborn of all people!" The other one with the golden mustache stomped his foot hard onto the ground.

Oto flinced. 'Dad?!'

"There's no use talking about him now. God knows if he's still alive."

"Oi…" (insert Hibari's theme music)

"What?!" Gokudera hissed from the bushes.

"Hibari…Kyouya…" Oto murmered.

"You three are mingling." The Prefect grinned murderously. "Not only so, you've woken me up from my nap. I'll have to bite you to death right here and now."

"Are you serious? Respect your elders kid, or we'll give you a really long nap."

"Well, it's your funeral." In a flash, he disappeared. The three gawked, helpless. The last guy that spoke was knocked off his feet. The first one with the bald head was piled on top of him. The one with the gold mustache began to sweat. The boy resumed his battle stance waiting to strike.

"Wait!" Oto yelped, jumping from the bushes.

"You…" The mustache guy said in recognition of her appearance.

Her hands curled into a fist. "What was that about him?"

"Eh?"

"Ercole Santo! My dad! What's happened to him?"

"H-h-he…around 9 A. M. yesterday, we were sent on a mission to search for you! We ran into him and…"

"…and what?"

"We were on a train and he…jumped into the river…I--"

She roughly took his collar and held him up without his feet even touching the ground.

"Grrugh…" he chocked.

"Who was it that sent you?" She spoke.

"W-w-why would…I…t-tell…you…?"

"Was it Aurelio Estraneo?" Oto mumbled.

The man's eyes widened. "H-how..did..you know…?"

There was a shock that went through her body from that news, loosening her grip. "I-it was…huh? I should've known it was father." She dropped him on the floor, she began to walk away. "Thank you for your cooperation, sir."

"Oto Sakura…" Hibari spoke out throwing something that hit her head dead on. "The infant told me to give that to you." He threw a porcelain silk bag with several clumps within. The top was tied in an intricate knot that was even more difficult to undo than the one in Maniac Magee. Nevertheless, there was a letter tied to it that she could extract immediately. She glanced at the seal and knew who it was from.

'To my dearest daughter,

How are you? Are you eating well? Daddy will be going on a trip for a while. I've asked Reborn to watch you for a bit. I'll probably be dying of loneliness by now, from being away from my most precious person. I miss you lots already. I hope your journey will end pleasantly, too. Meet lots of people (preferably girls) and try to find a little happiness on your own for papa okay?

Love,

Ercole Santo

P.S. I wasn't kidding about the' making friends' part. I love you very much!'

Hibari noticed a tear had fallen from her face. Before he could say anything, she turned around. Oto did her best to muster up a smile. "Gomenei for all the trouble I've caused, and…arigato! Really, thank you for delivering this to me."

He turned away and started walking towards the school, but Hibird continued to face Oto. It chirped, "You're welcome."

Something heavy fell on Oto's head. It was Hayato's arm that rested there, slightly making her feel short. "Come on, let's go." He sighed, exasperated.

"…Hayato-kun…"

* * *

"Ah! Hibari, Gokudera, Oto-chan! Morning!"

Oto smiled at the cheerful atmosphere. "Ohayo, Takeshi-kun."

"Morning, Baseball freak."

"The little guy said he wants to see us, so let's stop by at Tsuna's." He said to Gokudera.

"Hurry up."

Her pace quickened to catch up to Hibari. "I'll see you guys later!" She waved as they parted ways.

"Midori kanyabiku namimori mo…dai na no cho o naku, nami ga ii…" Hibird sang on their way, resting on Hibari's right shoulder.

"Kyou-san."

"What?"

"E-e-eh?! Ano…ah…nothing. I've heard Kusakabe-san call you that, so I've wanted to try it out."

"…."

"You know…" Oto looked thoughtfully up to the sky. "Namimori is a pretty warm city. The people here are nice and the scenery seems inviting. I wish I could stay here a long while." She nodded to herself, as they arrived at the gate.

"Meet me at Reception Room once school is finished." Hibari said to her, before making his way to the third year's floor.

"Hey, Kyou-san!" She yelled one more time. He glanced in her direction and she smiled. "About what I said yesterday…I don't think I was too far off the mark."

He paused then smirked quietly to himself.

* * *

She slid open the door to her classroom and strolled in.

"Wah…Oto-chan!"

"Kyoko-chan! Good morning."

"Mm! Have you been getting used to this place yet?"

"Probably, but I still have a long way to go."

"Lambo-san is the greatest!!" A child with a cow suit and an afro hopped through the window and onto Oto's desk.

"Lambo-chan." Kyoko smiled.

"Hey, a kid can't be here! We could get suspended if he makes a ruckus." Hana whispered, looking over my shoulder.

"Gyahaha!!!" The little boy laughed. Oto held him in her arms, and cradled him back and forth. "Let go! Let go!"

"Stella Stellina  
Stella stellina  
la notte si avvicina  
la fiamma traballala  
mucca é nella stalla  
La pecora e l'agnello  
la vacca col vitello  
la chioccia coi pulcini  
la gatta coi gattini  
e tutti fan la nanna  
nel cuore della mamma…"

Slowly, Lambo's eyelids closed, drifting off to sleep. She handed him to Kyoko. "Here. That should buy us a few hours."

"Wow, Oto-chan, that was amazing!" Kyoko held him.

"What was that song anyway? What language was it?"

"Oh…uh…"

"Lambo!" Screeched Tsuna, who just walked in with Gokudera and Yamamoto. "Are you okay?"

Kyoko handed him over to the panicked boy and shook her head. "He wandered in here, so Oto-chan just put him to sleep."

"Oh."

Reborn grabbed Lambo by one of his horns. "Good job, Oto. I'll take him back home. Furthermore, pack a week's supply of stuff you think you might need for a camping trip and come visit me at Tsuna's house tomorrow."

"Come to think of it, Winter break starts tomorrow too." Kyoko thought aloud.

"It's your second part of the test." Reborn said seriously, "And it has to be timed precisely at that week. It tests your practical skills."

"Eh…well, alright then."

* * *

**Afternoon...**

*knock, knock*

"Kyou-san? Kusakabe-san? I've brought some refreshments for you." Oto said. There was no answer. "I'll be coming in then." As silently as she could, she opened the door and peered inside. Hibari had fallen asleep! Didn't Tsuna say something about this? Something like: 'Hibari-san is a very light sleeper and if anyone wakes him up, he'll bite that person to death!' Dare she risk it? She shook her head, and gently plopped the snacks onto the table. She sat still on one of the mini-sofas directly accross his. It didn't take long for her to doze off herself.

* * *

An hour late(r), another group of about 15 men were present right outside the door to the reception room.

"A couple of brats beat 3 of our men? We'll show 'em..." One of them said. He slid open the door, and peered into the room. A raven-haired boy was leaning against the window, while their target was sleeping soundly on a long sofa with a black jacket covering her. A little yellow bird was munching on an open snack on the main desk. "The hell?! She's asleep. Guess that makes things easier for us."

"You are trespassing on school grounds."

"Whatever. Hand over the girl, or I'll break your nose, kid."

"You're not touching her." Hibari said, boredly.

"What?! You got some lousy ass nerves."

It hadn't even taken 2 minutes. All of them were down. "Huh, you guys gave more of a fight than the last few. I'll call you guys an ambulance after I dispose of you." He hooked two of them ready to throw them out through the window.

"...Nee-san..."

He shifted his attention to the sleeping girl for a moment, then dropped them onto the ground outside. After he finished phoning the hospital, he walked over to her. He raised his tonfa to wake her but...

"Dad...mother..." she started to cry in her sleep. He looked at her for a while and moved his hand to...mess up her hair.

"Gah!" She jumped up, accidentally headbutting Hibari. "Ow...oh, Kyou-san! You're awake!"

Oto stood up and he put his jacket back on. The two started to exit the room as Hibird followed in suit.


	4. P is for Papa and?

**At an airport…**

"Ne, Reborn. Where exactly are we going?" Oto asked, handing her tickets to the attendant. "Is the test so difficult that we have to this far? What do I have to do?"

"Reborn." Someone greeted in front of them. It was another baby, wearing red goggles and rather ragged clothes.

"Oto, this is Lal Mirch. She'll be taking over my spot as your proctor."

"Nice to meet you Lal Mirch." Oto smiled apprehensively.

"Same."

"You see, the Vongola familigia have rings for each guardian. Their like the treasure of that group. However, due to a certain event, there is only one other person who might know where the Estraneo familigia's treasure is, which is why we're here." Reborn continued with his explaination.

"Right…" She looked down for a minute, sadly. Figures that Reborn already knew about the former mafia group she belonged to. "But how does that test my practical skills?"

Lal Mirch smacked Oto's forehead. "Keep up. The _secret_ to where the Estraneo familigia's _treasure _isn't common knowledge. We have to sink as low as possible to reach that secret."

"You mean we're here to—"

"Infiltrate the Vendicare, yes." He stated. Leon morphed into a piece of paper. "Here's a photo of who you're looking for."

She took it, and stared at it for a long while. It was a boy in the picture. His indigo colored hair was done into a pinapple style, wearing a camaflouge shirt under what looked like a green uniform. He was about as tall as Hibari. "He's around the same age as me! And…for some reason, I feel like I've seen him before…"

"You could have. He was from the Estraneo familigia." Lal Mirch jumped into her seat, while Oto wore a blank look on her face. "His name is Mukuro Rokudo."

"I think I've heard father talk about him once. He was an experiment, scheduled to have the Six Realms integrated into one of his eyes, I think. Though the plan backfired, and most of the adult members ended up killed. I've only spoken with him a few times before then."

"Do your best, then Oto. Ciao, ciao." And with that, Reborn left. What was the point of purchasing his ticket anyway?

"ATTENTION ALL PASSENGERS, THE PLANE WILL BE TAKING OFF NOW. I REPEAT, THE PLANE WILL BE TAKING OFF NOW."

The flight was pretty uneventful, since Oto fell asleep from motion sickness. She loved heights, but not vehicles, no matter what the size or means of travel they provide. Once the plane landed, her eyes snapped open before Lal Mirch had a chance to kick her.

"We'll have to get there by foot. Mukuro is in the lowest floor of the Vendicare." Lal Mirch straightened her riffle.

"Okay…how far can it be, right?" Oto wondered.

* * *

**3 Hours Later...**

"If I have to run another mile, my legs will fall off!" She pushed some branches, gasping for air from her near 20 mile jog. It wasn't helping that she was timed, too.

"We're there." The Acrobaleno said, calmly. "You have to rescue Mukuro as undetected as you can, understand?"

"This won't be easy." The fortress was huge! There were tall iron walls outside, with two layers of interior electric fences. The tower gave off an eerie aura that seemed to scream 'Turn back'. It was a shame that that was not an option. Two even scarier guards were standing at the entrance. They didn't look too friendly either. "I guess I've no choice but to use _that_."

"Here, just in case you need it." Lal Mirch handed her an unusual dagger that looked like the top part of a trident. It was pretty darned heavy for something so small.

"Thank you, Lal Mirch." She sighed.

Oto began to walk up to the guards. "Ano…"

They completely ignored her and continued to look ahead.

An anger mark appeared on Oto's head. "Oi! A U. F. O.!!" She yelped in feigned surprise. Still nothing. Oh joy… She took in a deep breath and started in a different strategy. "Move aside."

The stone faced men stiffly did what was ordered of them. Their bodies completely ignored their brain's messages to stop, and moved on their own. "…what's…going…on…nn…"

"Oto Sakura's Skill #1: Sound hypnotism. Vocal chords were forcedly implanted from her father Aurelio Estraneo." Lal Mirch confirmed, reading the file that Reborn left for her a safe distance away.

"Show me to Mukuro Rokudo." Oto sighed, as she walked past them, indifferently.

Their minds became blank instanteously. They all started to enter the facility in deathly silence. No one bothered to glance at Oto, since she was accompanied by employees of the Vendicare.

They walked for several minutes, maybe hours. It grew darker the lower the floors got. She started to become a little afraid of her return. They came to a stop. The effects of the hypnotism don't wear off until about 2 hours after the order is fulfilled. That gave her some time to speak with him. "Mukuro-san…" Oto felt someone stir behind the gate in front of her.

"Kufufufu~ A visitor?" A voice greeted her.

"I'm here to get you." She replied, studying the lock on the door. It was password protected. Man…

"Oya, oya? Is this Oto-chan?" The voice sounded amused. "It's been a while."

"It has, hasn't it." She smiled fondly, beginning to type into the panel. "I-I wished we could've met under better circumstances."

"You can't have everything in the world."

"Yeah…" She chuckled to herself, and finished hacking open the lock. "But that won't stop me from being hopeful." She started to push the tall doors open with her bare hands. Beyond a wall of glass, there was Mukuro, submerged in water and in multiple shackles. "So this is what the knife was for. She stabbed the glass with it, with much of the water flowing out. It took a whole ten minutes for all of it to drain into the ground. Using the computer to lower the wall this time, Oto walked up to Mukuro. _'He's unconscious.' _She thought, brushing a hair from his face. She moved closer to begin removing some of the chains that were on the body.

CHU (a/n: sfx for a quick peck)

"…eh?!" Though sitting down, Oto's legs moved her to opposite side of the wall from the sudden contact on her cheek. Her face was flushed a deep shade of pink. "I thought you were unconscious!!"

"Kufufu~" He slowly opened his eyes and stood up, brushing off his white shirt from small shards of glass. "You were the one who assumed that." He grinned, the number one in kanji emerged from his discolored eye and he began to undo the chains himself. "Oto-chan has a very funny way of walking, too."

"Placing that aside," she stood up to brush off her skirt. "What are we going to do about getting outside? Getting into prison without a commotion is easier than getting out…"

"You forget, my dear Oto-chan, we are former Estraneo. Let's head to the broadcasting room."

"I have to use that power again?!"

He patted her on the head. "It _is _the easiest way."

"And if we run into more guards on the way?!"

"Kufufu~" Mukuro took out the three-pronged dagger stuck in the class. "I intend to."

She sighed. "I wonder how Kyou-san is right now…"

* * *

**In Namimori…**

"…presenting the cool and dangerous, Hibari Kyouya!" announced Bianchi on the mike.

"Ah, Hibari-san!"

Hbird began singing the alma mater. Prefects that have been gathered in Tsuna's room were crying in joy. "And with that, I'll withdraw from this contest."

"Eh?"

Dialing on his phone in front of Tsuna's house, he listened in half-expectant. It would seem wherever she went, Oto's phone was outside of the service area. Hibari's phone had been transferred to her mailbox.

"YOU'VE REACHED OTO SAKURA'S MAILBOX, DESU! I CAN'T REACH THE PHONE AT THE MOMENT. LEAVE A MESSAGE AND I'LL GET BACK TO YOU SOON…beep…"

He hung up and sighed.

A shadowed figure loomed closely behind him.

* * *

"Ne, Mukuro. This feels kind of weird."

"Really? Enlighten me."

"We're walking around in plain sight, over so many unconscious bodies."

He chuckled quietly to himself. "We're outside the tower. That was easy enough."

"That's because you made me put everyone to sleep!"

"Mission accomplished." Said Lal Mirch, as the two entered the woods. "Congradulations on passing."

"Ah…an acrobaleno." Mukuro smiled. "so you were the one behind this."

"Mukuro Rokudo, I need to ask you something." Lal Mirch stated in a serious tone.

"What is it? The least I can do is answer you after the rescue."

"Do you know where the Estraneo familigia's secret weapon is?"

"7^3." The Mist Guardian nodded to himself. "I don't know much about it, except that it's hidden. In the uproar caused from the fall of the Estraneo, Aurelio took the thing with him in his _narrow_ escape. It's likely he still has it. I hear he's pledged himself to the Gesso familigia now, though."

The Acrobaleno fell silent for once.

"The Tre ne sette needs the Vongola rings, which Kyou-san and the others have; the mare rings, which belong to the Giglio Nero; and then the pacifiers of the Acrobaleno. I don't think there's too high of a chance that the ultimate power will be used anytime soon. If it was, I would know…"

The two stared at her.

"What?" Oto asked.

"What do you mean that 'You would know'?" Lal Mirch demanded.

Mukuro laughed and slapped his hand on his forehead. "Kufufufu~ oh that's right. Since you were an Estraneo, of course you would have been experimented on as well, no matter whose daughter you are. It was you who was linked to the Tre ne Sette as a safety precaution."

"Linked?" Asked the acrobaleno.

"If 7^3 is really that powerful, than some measly rock couldn't hold it without any problems. There would have to be another that keeps that strength in check. Thus, we have Oto-chan here. Why else would she hold such a…'devastating' power?"

Oto looked away. "Anyway, let's go back. Let's go back to Namimori. I have homework to finish."

The alarm sounded.

"Might I assume that was for encouragement?" Mukuro took Oto's hand and began to run, with Lal Mirch flying in front of them.

"Why can't things end peacefully?!" Oto grimaced, whilst being dragged along.

* * *

"Who are you?" Hibari queried, holding up a steady tonfa.

"Isn't it common courtesy to introduce yourself first, before asking another for their name?" A man in his late twenties frowned at the teen. His extremely light blue hair was tied up into a short pony-tail, wearing many exceedingly gaudy rings and a pair of glasses.

"I guess it doesn't matter." Hibari smirked. "I'll ask you again after I bite you to death."

'_Oto-chan, it looks like papa has met with a wild dog.' _Ercole Santo thought to himself.

* * *

**Back at the Airport in Namimori…**

"Mukuro-sama, you should be going now, shouldn't you?" Oto smiled, with a sweatdrop.

"Oh? I have some time on my hands." He grinned, running his hand through his new-found apple red hair. As a disguise, he just had to choose Oto's appearance.

"Please at least change into something else! I don't like staring at myself! Nappo-chan (Mukuro's nickname, by Oto) is a baka!!"

WOOSH!

CRASH

"We just had to lose track of Lal Mirch. Nappo-chan, please tell me something didn't fly past us."

"Something _has _flown by us." Mukuro replied frankly.

As soon as the dust cleared, Hibari could be seen half buried in rubble. A foot stepped in front of him, frowning in boredom. "If _this _is _all_ you can do, there is absolutely no way I'm entrusting Oto-chan to you. Your reasons for agreeing to it are terrible too. 'Because the baby promised I'll have a hard time being bored' and 'There is a likely chance that I would run into countless strong foes if I'm with her'?" He grabbed Hibari up by his hair, looking at his bloodied face. "Quit joking."

Hibari mockingly smirked at him. "She may be an herbivore, but she's a rare breed for an herbivore."

"Those are your last words? Carnivore-san turned out to be utter tra—"

"Kyou-san!"

Ercole whirled around to the voice's direction. "Oto-chan?!"

BASH

Hibari managed to stand from the rubble, swiping his tonfa straight dow to strike Ercole's shoulder, as his one and only hit. "Heh…how was that…?" He mumbled and staggered a bit.

"Oh, that hurt." Ercole looked to his left in surprise. It was bleeding heavily, but it seemed like he could hardly feel or care less.

"Papa."

"Oh my sweet daughter, I've missed—" Ercole shivered. "EW!!! That's disgusting, change the illusions on your appearance you…you…vile pineapple!"

"Kufufu. You wound me Ercole-san." Mukuro smiled evilly, the mist shifting around his body.

"And it's Ercole-_sama _to you, boya."

"Kyou-san…?" Oto looked up at him painfully a bit, moving past the two bickering morons. Hibari's eyelids slowly dropped and he fell foward. Oto moved her arms in time to catch him, before his head could hit the ground. "Agh...heavy...! Why do boys have to be so big..."

* * *

**Author's note: WILL SOMONE PLEASE START VOTING IN THE POLLS FOR THIS STORY? ;_; Please? I can't continue the story as quickly if there isn't a definite pairing to aim at...(for now only one person has voted in the poll on my profile, and mukuro's in the lead but I want more opinions no offence to that one)**


	5. In the world of today, money talks

**Author's note: Erm...just a little heads up, the past few chapters takes place before the ring battles. The timeline's messed up, but I really wanted for the mother's day episode (or something like that) to come before the actually battles with the Varia. A lot of this is on crack, but I feel like this fanfic isn't too boring (at least I hope it's not). This chapter squeezes a day in between Squalo's entrance and tutor-hunting. However…be warned of huge waves of shock and ooc-ness in the future. **

**As for the polls…**

**Hibari- 4**

**Mukuro- 2**

**Yamamoto- 2**

**Fran- 2**

**Basil- 2**

**Tsuna- 1**

**Dino- 0**

**Xanxus- 0**

**Squalo- 0**

**Belphegor- 0**

**Ryohei- 0**

**Gokudera- 0**

**Lambo- 0**

…**ahem. It seems Hibari's a definite now, as for the rival, well, possibly Mukuro or Yamamoto? I'm surprised more people voted for Fran than Dino. O_O We'll just have to wait for a tie-breaker…**

* * *

A whole day had been wasted in tending to Hibari's injuries. He didn't have much medical junk in his house too. The next day, Oto was stuck bringing him over to her dad's house.

"…almost…there…" Oto was sweating, despite the fact she was wearing only a pair of knee-length pants and a short sleeved t-shirt. Oh, but then, she was also dragging around Hibari in toll, as Ercole and Mukuro seem to be discussing business of some sort trailing behind them. While her father refuses to touch Hibari; for some reason, she did not trust Mukuro to help him at all. "…Now just to open the door…" Her hand reached for the door, but Hibari began slipping off her shoulder. "Ky—" Before she could react in time, another arm had caught him in time.

"I swear, when I've been gone only for a few days…" A familiar voice sounded next to her. Oto craned her head to her left, and couldn't help but let out a smile.

"Ren-kun!"

He grinned at her. "I told Reborn it was bad idea to leave you with Kyouya! He could have at least chosen Bianchi as your caretaker…though I would have at least thought Ercole would go easy on him, for being a kid and all."

"Ren, or should I say Chiavorone's Bronco Dino." Ercole frowned at the blonde youth.

"Still as overprotective as ever, eh Ercole Sakura? Santo's Hercules?" He smirked, adjusting Hibari's position for Oto. His smile lowered a few notches, and sighed. "Let's discuss the situation inside."

She looked at the both of them. "……"

The sunlight shined painfully through the windows, and there was a faint sound of a door clicking shut. Hibari's eyelids slowly drifted open, and sat up, holding his head in his left hand. A muffled voice rang from outside the door of the room he laid.

"…um…no, I checked. Kyou-san should wake up soon though Kusakabe-san." It was Oto. The black haired boy yawned and noticed that he was wearing his nightwear (as seen in episode 17, I think). Even for Hibari, he had a chill that there was a possibility someone had changed his clothes for him.

"You could have just left him at the airport. Someone would have picked him up." Came another voice, most likely older and masculine.

"Dad, fighting him is one thing." The girl sighed, unhappily. "If it's Kyou-san, that would be unavoidable, but you didn't need to break _three _of his ribs!" There was a silence before anyone spoke again. "Re--I mean—Dino…"

"…OW!" A third voice cried.

"Please keep your mitts off my daughter."

"A-a-anyway, I think I'm going to check on Kyou-san again." Quickened footsteps came louder towards the door of the room Hibari was in. Just before touching the knob, they stopped. There was a small knock on the door, and he shifted his gaze from the window. "Kya! You're awake!" She noticeably jumped a bit.

His disheveled hair is…fun to look at in a way, despite having his usual scary and demonic demeanor. His sharp gaze still made her shiver a bit, though. Oddly enough he smirked. "…wao, those are some interesting clothes you have on."

"…eh?" Oto's eyes darted to her clothes. She was still in her pajamas—her rabbit printed pajamas. "Eep! E-e-er…um…I just remembered: you must be hungry, ne Kyou-san?! I-I-I'll go fetch you something to eat!" Oto's face turned into a deep shade of red, which strangely amused Hibari to a certain degree. There were several crashes and bangs that could be heard shortly after and a loud slamming of a door.

The door to Hibari's room creeked open again, this time with Dino emerging. "Oto always _was _good at running."

"You…"

"Kyouya?" He smiled meekly in surprise. "So you're awake!"

* * *

"…erm…according to list of instructions Reborn gave me, Kyou-san likes hamburgers and sushi…" Oto mumbled to herself, staring at a wrinkled sheet of paper. "There should be a sushi store right around here…"

"Fight on! Fight on! FIGHT ON TO THE EXTREME!!!" A lawnhead shouted, whilst jogging down the street. At the interception of the block, Oto and Ryohei collided painfully with each other.

Oto winced in pain. "Ow…"

"G-gomen!" Ryohei exclaimed, hurriedly holding a hand out to help her up.

She stared at him in wonder, taking his hand and lifting herself up. "Ryohei Sasegawa-san?!"

"You know me?" He widened his eyes slightly in genuine surprise. "Oh I see now! You must want to join the boxing club!! Don't worry we accept anyone, no matter if you're a girl or a boy! Let's both train hard to the extreme!!!"

"E-eh…ah…" Oto sweat dropped over the boy's enthusiasm. "Not quite, Sasegawa-sempai…I saw your picture with Kyoko-chan and…uh…well I never thought I would get the chance to actually meet you."

"Kyoko? Oh!! You must be Koto Nakura! It's nice to meet you!"

"It's Oto. Oto Sakura, Sasegawa-sem--." Her phone rang. Flipping it open, there was a message from Dino:

'_Hurry! I don't think I can keep Kyouya here for much longer_

_-Dino'_

"Ah! I forgot! Warui, Sasegawa-sempai." Oto bowed to Ryohei, stressed. "I'll catch you later!"

A gust of wind blew as Ryohei was left in the dust, hand stretched half-way to shake Oto's hand.

"…the sushi place should be around here somewhere…" Oto mumbled, looking around.

SPLASH!

Out of the blue, Oto's clothes had been doused with cold water. It seems her luck really has gotten terrible.

"!"

"…mou! Fate is out to get me!" She shouted aloud, frustrated, cold and wet.

"Ah, sorry!" It was Yamamoto, startled by the outburst.

"Eh, Takeshi-kun? Are you the one out to get me?"

"Sakura? Wow, what a coincidence! Come on in!" He promptly dragged Oto inside the restaurant she was looking for?! "Dad, customer!"

"Oi, Takeshi!" A voice called from deeper within. His eyes widened a bit when he caught a glimpse of Oto. "…er, so what can I get you little miss?"

"Ano…five orders of unagi, nigirizushi-style and one--" A shock just went through Oto's head. _Do I need to feed that pineapple too? _"I mean: six orders of unagi (nigirizushi style), eight orders of marbled tuna, and three more order of sea urchins." She sighed exasperated on how long that order was.

"That's a lot for just one person." Yamamoto laughed a bit.

"The price isn't that small-fry, either. Unfortunately, can't give you a discount." Yamamoto's dad began to laugh too. "If you're serious, that would total to be 500,000 yen."

Oto, oblivious to the joke, rummaged through her skirt pocket for her wallet and took out a wad of bills. "…10…20...30…40…50…ah, here's 500,000 yen!" She smiled placing the stack of money atop the counter.

They both gawked at her. That wasn't even half of the money she had. "…r-r-right on it!" Yamamoto's dad ran into the kitchen.

"Did I say something?" She arched a brow at Yamamoto. "Would he rather prefer check?"

"Haha, nah that's not it."

"Oh!" The girl dug out a baseball from her bag. "Ano…I've been meaning to return this to you. Are you on the baseball team?"

"I knew I was missing one! Thanks."

"Here are your orders!" Yamamoto's dad bounced out of the kitchen, more energetic. "Would you like Takeshi to help you carry that?"

Oto shook her head.

"It's pretty heavy."

Again, she shook her head.

"There might be more weirdoes outside right now."

Once more, her head shakes.

"It might be a good opportunity for you."

Oto's gaze was blank at first.

Yamamoto's dad smiled slyly and mouthed the words: _Good luck with asking Takeshi out. You have my approval! _

Seconds later, her face turned pink, then red, later blue and lastly green. "…er…what?"

He gave her a wink. "C'mon, you two get along the way. Takeshi, walk her home."

Yamamoto smiled, with some confusion leaking, but took the bags of sushi before Oto could even touch them. "I don't really get it, but I guess we should get going."

* * *

**Meanwhile…**

"Give the Vongola ring some thought!" Dino yelped for the umpteenth time.

Hibari trusted his tonfas at him continuously. "I did. Don't need it."

"He has a one-tracked mind, doesn't he?" Ercole stated simply, sitting on the couch and reading.

"You could help!"

"This house is property of the Santo familigia. Be grateful I haven't thrown you out yet with the garbage." The Santo boss took an animal cracker, biting the head off.

"Look out for the secret animal cracker, Ercole-san." Mukuro (still in Oto's guise) removed his rested feet from the classy table. "Hm…I think I'll go look for_ cherry blossoms_."

Hibari stiffed a bit at the mention of that particular word, but proceeded with his fight with Dino.

"I'll keep a look out for the princess, too."

This time, Hibari completely ignored the comment.

Mukuro smiled wryly to himself. "Kufufu. I suppose they aren't close enough for her knight to tell the difference, eh?" He left.

* * *

"Takeshi-kun, I can walk the rest of the way!" Oto huffed, frustrated about all her failed attempts to take the bags without damaging the sushi inside from Yamamoto. "Mou!"

"Ma, Hibari's house should be around here, why don't we visit him?"

Oto's eyes flashed at the moment of opportunity. "Hi-yah!" She lunged in to grab for it, while Yamamoto was dazing off. "Yes! I got it!" She actually did grab it. Wow…she felt proud… "I'll be off then! Ja ne!"

BONK

…unfortunately, she ran into a light post. "Ow…" Oto moaned, clutching her head.

"A-are you okay?" Yamamoto choked in between guffaws.

She nodded and smiled. "Good bye!" She watched the baseball player retreat back with a wry smile plastered on his face.

"See ya."

Skipping happily to the door step, the red-haired girl reached out to open the front door. A hand that came from behind took the handle to the door first. "…eh?"

"Kufufu. Welcome home." Mukuro grinned, in his original form. "How was your trip?"

"Please get off me." Oto looked down, avoiding his gaze.

Mukuro's smile changed a bit; it looked a bit _sad_ to Oto, but she brushed it off. "I wonder. When did it start? This rift between you and I…?"

She turned around furiously, and glared at him.

"You're late." Hibari opened the door slightly and gave Oto a hit in the head with a tonfa.

"Ow…" She rubbed the sore spot. "Kyou-san! Ano…here! Some food."

He opened the door wider, and began to walk away. Oto let herself in and followed him in suit, after she shut the door. "Who were you talking to?"

"What?" She turned around. Mukuro was gone. _'Again, he left…" _A bit of worry flickered in her expression, but she shook her head. "……"

"Tomorrow…"

"Huh?"

"I'm going to bite you to death tomorrow for being so difficult to look after."

An incoming kick came around, as Hibari neatly deflected the blow. "Not while I'm around, boya." Ercole frowned, and took Oto's bags of sushi. "Oh, sushi."

"Uh…hello! Over here! Untie us!" Further in, Dino and some of his men had been tied up and bloodied.

"N. O." Oto's dad grinned at them. "You dirtied the carpet, and I had just finished tying all of you up."

"WHAT KIND OF REASON IS THAT?!"

Oto sighed, sweating a little. "I feel a little tired. I'll head to my room to rest a bit." She began to walk upstairs as Dino and Ercole exchanged odd glances.

Hibari grabbed her by her blouse's collar, stopping her in her tracks and causing her to turn around. "Oi, herbivore. You shouldn't think so much."

"Kyou-san, you sound nice right now but…"

"Thinking too hard on something doesn't suit you. You'll end up with a thinking fever."

"Yup, I knew that was coming." She gave a half-smile at his comment.

"…if that happens, I would be going back on my word with the baby." Hibari ruffled her hair. "So don't do anything to make me worry, understand?"

"…hai…" Oto's face was flushed a little. She was being treated like a kid, by someone not that much older than her.

"If you need anything, come see me about it and I'll have my subordinates carry out the orders. Do not go out alone, unless accompanied by me or some other trusted party."

"But—"

"And no 'buts'. What I have just said is now law."

She looked at him incredulously. _How does he speak with so much authority?! Though I am a bit too intimidated to disobey…_ "Understood, sir."

"In addition, in the presence of others, you will address me by my surname, instead of the given."

"……yes, _Hibari-san_."

"And, lastly…"

_There's more…?_

Hibari let go of her shirt color, and grasped the tips of her hair in his hand. "Why are you soaked?" He threw a dry towel to her, which covered her head completely.

Oto smiled skeptically. "I'll untie D-dino and the others so we can all dig in. Yamamoto-san made the sushi, so it should taste pretty good."

* * *

**Author's note: Everyone's ooc in this chapter. TT_TT …there'll be a lot of fighting and explanations in the next chapter. Where is my motivation for writing this?! It sucks. Even for a first attempt…**


	6. Awakening from Wonderland

**Disclaimer: …I want it, but I can't have it. **

* * *

THROB. THROB. Lately, that was all Oto's head would do. It seemed harder and harder to retain focus. There was something about these past few days in Namimori. Something _off_…and she didn't think her amnesia was the issue. There was her behavior towards Mukuro, the nostalgic occurrences with Tsuna and co., Hibari's unusually familiar attitude, and this inexplicable weight on her chest. It was all…

"…_**up."**_

Her eyes snapped open. She was not in her room anymore. Heck, there _is _no room. The scenery only contained two things: a crystal clear sky and a garden. Not much, as far as sites go. "This is…?"

A shadow towered over her dangerously. When she turned around to see the figure, she could just barely suppress her laughter.

"..." It was Hibari, **in broad daylight**, wearing his typical Namimori Middle School uniform with…black bunny ears that replaced typical human ears. What a sight to behold.

"K—"

"Pita." He cut her off.

"??"

He lowered a hand to her. "And you're Arisu."

Oto gave H—_Pita _a bespectacled expression. "…Arisu?" Before she could even accept his hand, _Pita_ abruptly slung her over his shoulder and started going.

He flipped open his big, golden watch that had a Hibird design inside. "This'll save some time, but we'll still be late to meet the queen."

"The Queen?"

"…**w…ake……up…"**

_Pita _continued to ignore _Arisu's _questions. "Talking right into my ear…I'll bite you to death for that when we get there." They continued at the same pace in silence for a long while. Nothing but the same old grassy scenery, until…_Pita _suddenly stopped at the fork in the road and dropped her. "The rest from here will have to be up to you." With that, the Black Rabbit vanished.

Which road…to take? The one on the right that led to a garden seemed more modernized and recently touched on. The one on the left that led to the woods looked like it hadn't been travelled on for a long time.

"Hey, you there!"

"Ha ha, you must be Arisu!"

Gokudera and Yamamoto in matching soldier uniforms with tall halberds rushed to Oto.

"For the last time, idiot, it's ALICE." Gokudera shouted at his taller partner.

Yamamoto smiled nervously. "Gomen, gomen. Anyway, Miss. He's Tweedle Dee, and I'm Tweedle Dum. We're here to invite you to a tea party."

"Not that you have much choice." A voice piped up near them.

'Reborn-sensei is in my dream too. This time in a green suit and drinking tea instead of espresso.'

He grinned mischievously. "Wrong. I'm the Hatter."

'A mind reader?'

"We're here to escort you to the Queen. Oi, Dame-Mad Hare."

"H-hai!" There was rustling in the bushes before the young Vongola boss candidate made his entrance.

Oto's eyes widened in amazement, and her hands flew to her mouth. Tsuna was dressed in a frilly outfit with white bunny ears that were slightly bent in an 80 degree angle. "K-kawaii~!"

"Eh?"

She hugged him tightly, and squealed in delight. "It really suits you, Tsunayoshi-kun! I like it."

* * *

"Welcome to the Kingdom of Hearts!" Kyoko and Haru chirped happily in their matching Lolita dresses. "The Queen is expecting you. Right this way, please!"

Oto's eyes widened as the castle came into view. She halted in her pace, hands shakily covering her agape mouth. "This house…"

"…Is the Estraneo estate." Someone finished for her. Arms constricted around Oto from behind, pulling her closer in. Mukuro grinned mischievously, though looking worse for the wear with a pair of cat ears and a tail. "Kufufufu. Did you like this dream? I remember this was your favorite story."

"…_**wake…up…"**_

Mukuro's expression saddened. He gently stroked her cheek and brushed away a strand of hair and some tears. "It would seem I haven't been able to have complete control over you." He paused for a moment. "Was it your will that helped you escape the illusion?"

"You made two mistakes."

"Oya?"

"Your 6 Paths of Reincarnation skills do not include reading someone's memory, so most of the first half of this illusion was based off of research (probably; better yet, call it spying)." She reached for something in her pocket. "Number one: my encounters with Hibari Kyouya. Many of them didn't happen or were changed. The timeline of events that happened are wrong too. The rings haven't been delivered yet, either."

"You shouldn't have been able to remember that if you were entranced by the dream created from my illusions."

"That brings us to number two." She held up a peace sign to him.

"Which is…?"

She took her index finger and pulled down below her eye, while sticking out her tongue. "Bleh! Not telling."

"How quaint." He smirked.

"……" Oto smirked back cheekily. "My memories are messed up _again _because of you. When I wake up, I just might kill you."

"How do you plan on escaping? Are you going to ask Sir Peter Rabbit to help you? You forget that this is my playground." He snapped his fingers and Gokudera and Yamamoto immediately swung their halberds at her. She dodged just in time, though losing a few strands of hair. "Whatever will you do?"

Oto sighed and drew out a small handgun. "Looks like I'm in a pretty tight spot. I can't use illusions to counteract, but since this _isn't _reality…" She aimed her hand gun. "…I don't have to care if I _accidentally _hurt a few cheap copies." There was a flash of metal, and a cut appeared on Oto's cheek.

Mukuro smiled in triumph. "Kufufufu. The how about an illusion of your knight? Well?"

"…what to do…" She thought back to the book that her dad made her read on illusions. Eliminating the problem wasn't an option now. That would leave… "Dang." She frowned.

"Hm? Surrendering?"

She shifted the position of her gun to pointing at her head. "I can't hurt Kyou-san; copy or not."

Mukuro frowned, feeling slight envy pricking at him.

"But it's not like I don't love Nappo-chan and Ka-chan and Ken-pyon anymore. I did really wish we could have met again under better circumstances..." She smiled and then gulped. "However, I have to get out of here to help Tsunayoshi-kun win against you. This brings me to…" Oto squeezed her eyes shut. "Arrivederci."

BANG. She pulled the trigger, waking up from her sweet slumber.

* * *

The single shot that was launched both in dream and reality, knocked Mukuro's bullet out of trajectory, allowing the hyper-dying will bullet to hit Tsuna and helped Oto regain consciousness.

Tsuna's Vongola X gloves blazed brightly within the Kokuyo theatre. Catching Oto, before hitting the ground due to fatigue. "Arigatou…Sakura-san."

* * *

**Oto's POV (starting from here on onwards…)**

Tetsuya Kusakabe opened the door to the rooftop of Namimori Middle School, announcing the events of the day after Tsunayoshi-kun's fight at Kokuyo. "Chief! The Baseball Fall Tournament is today!"

Hibari simply yawned, his hand hovering over his face, while Hibird flew away singing the school's alma mater. "...oi. How long do you plan on sleeping?"

My eyes fluttered open to the voice of the harsh greeting that entered my ears. There was something warm that my head rested on. Judging by the tone of voice, it couldn't be anyone other than Namimori's head prefect. "O-O-Ohayo, Kyou-san."

"………"

"Oops, I mean, Disciplinary Head..." It took me a while to register where I was, or the position I was in currently. My face flushed a new shade of red that had not been discovered by man yet. After realizing I was lying so close to Hibari, I quickly sat up, and made an attempt to move away from the person who never liked crowds and physical contact that was not during his biting seasons. But before I could succeed, a hand that was connected to mine yanked me back.

"Ano…Disciplinary Head…eto…"

"How much do you remember?" It sounded more like a demand than a question.

I felt my jaw drop in surprise. "Eh?"

"Hmph…" He turned his head to the side. "…forget it. I'm going back to sleep."

I turned away my gaze as well. Trying desperately to hide my face, I tried asking him to release me, so that I could leave him alone. "Err…my hand…"

He closed his eyes and yawned once more. "If you won't tell me, then I won't let go."

"You're being mean." I pouted.

"So are you." He replied before dozing off.

The adrenaline in my blood rushed at much more alarming pace. "I'm sorry…I'll catch up on school and take care of my own living arrangements properly, so that I won't have to bother you anymore."

"That's not what I'm talking about." Hibari opened his eyes, shifting his body to a sitting position. His stare focused solely on Oto. He inched slightly closer to her. "Although it doesn't matter if you do understand."

Words refused to form from my vocals. I could have always ordered him to let go, using hypnosis, but I didn't have much grasp on my mind at this point. "Ah…um…I…." I stuttered, hopelessly.

It was then from the unbearable silence when I heard the stressed whispers coming from the door. "…shhh…they might notice us…!"

"AHH!!!" Dino, members of his family, Kyoko-chan, Hana-chan, Haru-chan, Tsunayoshi-kun, Hayato-kun, Ryohei-sempai, and even Tetsuya-chan came tumbling through their peeking spot. "Ow…"

I blinked as I watched them regain composure, while I also took the moment to regain mine. "Eh? What are you all doing…?"

"W-W-W-We're sorry for spying on you! Really!! We just wanted to bring Sakura-san to see Yamamoto's game today, but we didn't want to interrupt…so…" Tsunayoshi-kun tried explaining.

There was a sharp gleam from something that one of them held. "Dino, is that camera for the game?"

Dino began to sweat. "Uh! Yeah, sure! We wanted to record the game! U-huh, you sure have gotten brighter, after you started school."

"…why a video camera, though?"

"Oh, you know! _Moving_ pictures are what really let the memories flow through." Romario smiled nervously and gestured to the video cam.

"…but, baseball games take too long to record fully…hee!!" I felt an insanely strong aura emanating from the boy that I forgot was with me. "D-D-D-Disciplinary Head! Please me rational!"

Out of all the girls, Haru-chan seemed the most frightened, for some reason. "Hahi, why don't we go now, Oto-chan?"

I nodded. "H-hai…" And I ended up being dragged away, offering only my prayers to Tsunayoshi-kun as guidance. 'May you rest in peace.'

"YAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!"

* * *

KLANK!

"Yeah! It's a homerun!" We all shouted in excitement. Thankfully, Dino had caught all of Hibari's attention, giving Tsunayoshi-kun and co. enough time to flee.

My face flushed once more, thinking of the moment just before then. "……" Other than holding my hand, he didn't touch me anywhere in particular. But, while we were standing there...the atmosphere was definitely charge with _**something**_.

Tsunayoshi-kun yelped. "HEY, GOKUDERA!!"

Snapping out of my contemplation of what happened then, I noticed Bianchi-san had joined our company. Right, Hayato-kun could never take the sight of his sister. Why was that again…? I took out a handkerchief and soaked it in some of the cold water from my bottle, placing it on his forehead to help him cool down. "You all right?"

A recognizable feeling washed over me all of a sudden. My eyes darted everywhere to find the source. "Mukuro…?"

It seemed that only I could see the cherry blossoms that were drifting along in the air. "Sayonara, Oto-chan..."

"...?"

* * *

**I LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!! I haven't updated for what seems like forever. Sorry, I was busy sulking and mulling over something. But, don't worry! I'm back for the moment to continue. Some of you are lost with the plot for this, but please direct the blame at Mukuro…at me too, since this is an OC story…but I'll throw in the chapters as fillers if anyone wants or I'll write a short prequel to show what really happened before and during Kokuyo arc. I do assure you that things will become clearer the more I update. **


	7. I PLUS U EQUALS DUEL! Memory No 1

**Disclaimer: No. Way. In. Hell.**

**

* * *

**

"I think I'm going to go see a specialist." I spoke to Hibari, and blocked a rough kick with a cross block. Counterattacking with a roundhouse kick, my opponent easily blocked it with his tonfa and used his other tonfa to attempt a bash in the face. I narrowly ducked just in time to avoid the hit.

"What?" In the recoil of my avoidance, he swiftly kicked my stomach, knocking me off guard.

I hastily jumped to my feet to evade a direct hit. "It's been a little over a week since we left Kokuyo Land. I don't like how I know who everyone is, but I don't remember most of my interactions with them. I mean…" Directing all my force into arm, my fist nearly touched him until he stepped back for me to miss. "…maybe there's something wrong with me." I swung another fist at him, but this time he caught my forearm.

Hibari began dragging me along the floor. Reaching the hole in the roof's fencing made by Gokudera sometime ago, he lifted me up by the wrist and slowly lowered me to dangle dangerously above the Namimori Middle baseball field. "It was nice knowing you."

"I'm sorry! I should have asked for your opinion first!" Whoa, I had a serious déjà vu vibe. "…didn't I say that once before?"

He sighed and pulled me back up to a safer position.

I pouted at his silence. He _really _didn't want to answer, didn't he? I decided to let the topic drop for the moment and put forth an effort to brighten up the atmosphere. I reached into my school bag, pulling out a two layered bento box wrapped in a Hibird-printed handkerchief. "…let's take a break for today. Hai, hai! Obento for the Disciplinary Head!"

I slowly unwrapped the wrapping cloth, and handed the first strata and a pair of chopsticks to Hibari, leaving the second for myself. Surprisingly enough, he took it without complaint.

"Today's special tempura with soy sauce over rice, with some steamed vegetables on the side!" I hid the fact that I originally planned to make egg omelet and chicken teriyaki, but had the strangest sensation that that would not be the best idea, mainly because the lunch was made for _HIBARI_. "So without further ado…itadekimasu."

"Itadekimasu." He took off the cap and began eating the rice. I tried not to mind, but watching him eat…Hibari seemed so elegant and normal (unlike his bunny ears in Wonderland) that I couldn't take my eyes off him.

"_Whoa! Whoa!" I barely dodged that kick. I didn't have time to think, since there was another incoming tonfa. This boy…my opponent was insanely strong for his age. I didn't have much opportunity to counterattack. But then again, his strength needs tempering. I drew out my pistol to jam his attack and end this charade. "Won't you listen? I'm sorry for coming without the school's consent! I'm transferring to this school tomorrow, so I thought it would be okay!"_

"_Doesn't matter. You're not a student today, which means you're trespassing on school grounds." He broke free from the block and shot another blow towards me. It didn't look like he'll give up anytime soon. Which meant…grabbing an arriving tonfa by the ledge, I quickly pulled it behind him while taking his moment of astonishment as a chance to secure his other arm, leaving no opening for him to attack._

"_Phew. Got'cha!" I smiled._

"_Not really." He frowned and released a hidden grappling hook. I let go in reaction to the sudden movement, which was my biggest mistake."Feel free to die now." He lunged forward ready to break some, if not all, of my bones. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the consequences of my error. I waited, and waited, and waited, and waited…but nothing came. I opened one of my eyes to peak. _

"_Eh?" _

"_RE-BORN!! I WILL DEATHPERATELY PROTECT YOU WITH MY DYING WILL!!!" Another demonic boy makes his entrance, but with a twist! He's only in his boxers. On top of his head blaze a dying will flame, so I only needed to guess who this boy was._

"_As expected, you came an hour early." Reborn made his entrance. "Ciaossu, Sakura."_

"_Ciao, Reborn-chan." I turned my gaze to the first year. "Ciao to you too, Tsunayoshi Sawada."_

_It looked as if they were still preoccupied in their fight. It might take a while until one of them tires out. Then again, things will be over as soon as the flame runs out. "YAAAAAAAAAH!!!" Just like I thought, Tsunayoshi-kun was cowering in fear the minute he ran out of gas. I deflected the dangerous blow._

"_Konnichiwa, Tsunayoshi-kun." I offered my hand to him. "Watashi Oto Sakura, desu. Let's be friends, ne?"_

_Huh, no reply. I waved my hand over and over in front of him. "Oi~ anyone in there? …or maybe he doesn't like me…" I sulked, lowering my hand. "Maybe, I was too forward…hmm…"_

"_I-iya." He finally took my hand and smiled._

_I focused on Hibari for now. "Hey, Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Frightening! Let's settle this with a game."_

"_I'll bite you to death for calling me that." His grimace flipped into a smirk. "I'm game. First person to fall flat on their back loses."_

"_Ouch. That sounds painful."I looked up thoughtfully, resting my chin in the cradle of my index finger and thumb. "If you win—"_

"_You leave the grounds immediately to die your hair black." He finished for me, already standing in his typical battle stance._

_I steadied myself. "What does my hair have to do with this? I was born this way! Fine, but if I win—"_

"_Hibari becomes your permanent bodyguard." Someone interrupted me again. _

"_What? Protect me? He seriously wants to kill me, here!" I mused aloud, as Reborn formally introduced my new 'bodyguard' after I engaged in a short battle with him beforehand. The dark haired boy standing next to him didn't seem interested in the slightest during the introduction. I could hardly blame him. "I don't need a babysitter."_

"_Hibari, if you stick around Oto Sakura, you may be able to meet strong foes to fight against. Additionally, 10% of the Santo Familigia's fortune will be forwarded to Namimori Middle's school funds."_

_Unfortunately, that attracted his attention. It would be more difficult to argue when it's two on one. Although I recognize that this boy that Reborn recommends has talent and boundless potential, he's definitely not ready if anyone were to come for me. Especially not anyone formerly from Estraneo, at his current stage."I came to Namimori to help Tsunayoshi Sawada-kun mature into the best Vongola boss there is. I don't need someone taking care of me."_

_I was astonished when he smirked in response. "Sounds like fun. Alright, then."_

_I felt a twinge of annoyance. "Hah…I don't like any of the conditions at all." No reaction time did he spare me at the end of that sentence. Even though I jumped back, he pulled me closer by my hair, and punched me in the stomach. He didn't look too happy when I jumped back in time to ease the impact of an added kick to the abdomen._

"_It seems that Sakura doesn't stand a chance against him." Reborn murmured. Leon leapt onto his hand and morphed into a green gun. He left the roof for the moment, leaving Tsuna to watch by himself sinking with overwhelming anxiety._

_I didn't have time to be distracted by the events occurring in the sidelines. At least, this guy didn't give me the luxury to. I felt a sudden pulsing within me. There was this odd sensation that told me to lure Hibari closer to a certain area of the fencing atop the roof. As a last hope, I went along with intuition and did so. It didn't look like we suspected anything, but I knew I was dead the minute I let my guard down. I managed to dodge his next blow and rolled over so that his back was facing the fence instead of mine. I could only pray that some miracle would happen and let me escape this unscathed. I noticed that Reborn had returned with some balloons in hand. Maybe they were for my funeral. _

_POP!_

_There it was: my miracle. I took the opening (caused from the sudden outburst) in his attack, and directed all my might into one last kick. He didn't react in time to parry. My eyes widened in shock when the fence broke and Hibari flew off that bit of land that he stood on._

"_!!" I reached out to grab him, and slung him in time to exchange places with him. He fell on his back from the force. Sadly, I was too far off the ledge to hold onto his hand and not pull him down with me. I felt gravity pulling me closer and closer to my demise. _

"_SAKURA-SAN!" I heard Tsuna call out._

_Reborn kept his cool. "Watch, Tsuna."_

_Something jumped off the roof without hesitation. Suddenly, I felt something wrap around me, tucking my head in. "…what?"_

_SPLASH!_

_Instead of making impact into the rock-hard cement, I fell into the pool instead. I got lucky again. The thing that held me kicked its way back up to the surface. I began coughing like crazy, until I at last realized what just saved me. It was none other than Hibari. "You're worth more trouble than what you give yourself credit for." He got out of the pool first and lifted me up after. We were both soaked to the bone._

_I pouted and squeezed the water from my hair. "…you're making it hard to thank you…"_

"_It can't be helped, since a deal's a deal." He threw a towel at me from that he acquired from the Swim Team._

"…_whatever you say, Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Annoying…" I muttered, losing all gratefulness that I possessed 10 seconds ago._

_I saw an even taller, though oddly less intimidating person than Hibari running up to us. "Kyou-san!" He stopped right in front of us. "Disciplinary Committee President, are you alright?"_

"_Bring me my shoes from the roof." He shot a glance at my feet. "Bring a pair of spares from the closet for her as well."_

_The man's eyes widened at the sight of me, like I was strange bizarre creature from planet Mars that had accidentally slipped into a hole in a rock and launched to Earth as a meteor. "I'm not weird. I'm Oto Sakura." I introduced myself hoping to avoid any misunderstandings._

"_A-ah. I'm Tetsuya Kusakabe." He ran off to complete Hibari's order._

"_Ne, Kyou—" The death glare and venomous aura told me not to continue calling him that. _

"GAH!!" I almost dropped my lunch upon noticing the sudden proximity between Hibari's face to mine, when I snapped out of my daydream. "W-w-w-what?!"

"Nothing, you were making a stupid face for a while so I was checking for your nonexistent mind." He retorted, bluntly.

"Hidoi~"

* * *

Tsuna was running late.

Not to school, but to home. Why, today of all days, did he have to make-up his last test? It just wasn't fair. Finally deciding to give up with more than half the questions blank, he handed in his exam. The hapless one snapped out his daydream and noticed the drizzle outside the classroom window. There was no one left inside school. Gokudera went off to buy a new lighter for his cigarettes, while Yamamoto had baseball practice.

He didn't even have an umbrella. Sighing hopelessly to himself, he made his way outside to the shoe lockers.

"Oh, it's raining..." He heard a familiar voice. Tsuna looked around hastily and spotted Kyoko Sasegawa by the gymnasium. "Eh? Kyoko-chan?!"

I trailed down the stairs slowly, finally finishing the classroom duties. I wondered what everyone was doing right now. Sighing deeply, I went to my shoe locker and noticed an umbrella stuffed in it that was not hers.

There was a note attached to it from Dino: 'The weather report said it's going to rain. Use this to get home.'

I smiled slightly, and took it into my hands. Hearing something sigh from the lockers behind her, I carefully crept just at the corner and peeked from there. "Ah...it's Tsunayoshi Sawada. Hmm..."

The boy shouted, jumping a bit at the sudden company. "Heee!! Sakura Oto-san from 2-B!"

I smiled meekly at Tsuna. "Ahaha. You know who I am..."

He scratched the back of his head. "What are you still doing here, Sakura-san?"

"Are you going home?" I asked instead.

"Uh..." He looked down sheepishly. "I forgot my umbrella."

Kyoko noticed us and dashed over to us. "Oto-chan, Tsuna-kun!" She smiled in relief at their presence.

Tsuna's eyes widened as the cute girl made her way to group with them. "Kyoko-chan?!"

"Ara...did you forget to bring your umbrella too, Kyoko-chan?" Her hands only held her bag.

She nodded. "Yes, I got held up with manager work for the boxing club. I thought I'd make it before the rain."

I pondered the situation. This...Tsuna person liked Kyoko. The vibes of love emanated strongly from him. Looks like I'll have to go home later... "Ah, Tsuna, here." She handed over the umbrella to her, and smiled quietly. "I'll lend you this umbrella, but in exchange will you take Kyoko-chan with you...?"

Tsuna turned ghastly white and bright red at the same time. "EH?!"

Smiling cheerfully in reply, I waved them off. "Have a safe trip!"

"But--" Kyoko started.

My smile wavered slightly, but regained its energy. "It's fine." And thus…the two left, both under the same umbrella. I giggled. "How nice…good for you Kyoko-chan." I looked up to the grey sky above. It doesn't look like the rain will let up anytime soon. My mind began to wonder here and there. "Kyou-san…ka…"

"What?" Hibari was standing behind me, arms crossed. When that happened, only god could know.

I accidentally let my hand slip, in surprise…and on my foot. The many textbooks inside crushed my toes mercilessly like a hammer to nails. My hair was standing up, while she screamed inwardly in pain and shock. "Ahaha…did you have prefect work to do, Disciplinary Head…?"

He sighed, and threw over something shiny and I (gracelessly) caught it in my hands. "Use this to get into the Reception Room. I'll come back after I finish a few errands."

Looking at the thing on my palm, it was a key. I clutched it and my lips formed a small curve quietly. "Arigatou…"

It was a lot easier to find the Reception Room this time around. Maybe it was because Mukuro not tamper with that bit of info. I used the keys and opened the door, humming off a tune. I plopped down onto the couch and began brewing some tea to keep myself warm. The fragrance and heat wafted around the room, as I took 2 tea cups and started pouring from the pot.

I reached out my hand to open the door and see if everyone was gone already. Just as my finger touched the knob, the door slammed open, hitting me hard on the face and knocking me out.

When I regained consciousness, I saw Hibari sitting on the sofa across from me, with his arm stretched out and legs crossed. His eyes were closed, which meant he was probably napping. I giggled. "At least the picture of his sleeping face is the same as the once Mukuro showed me in that dream from Kokuyo..."

I wasn't really conscious of what I was doing. My hand ached to touch him, moving towards his cheek, but as soon as I did, Hibari had grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me into a tight embrace. I couldn't even utter a sound. The atmosphere was charged with the same _something _that was from the week on the roof after we left Kokuyo Land. The breathing of Hibari wasclear and consistent which could only mean that he was still asleep. I sighed and tried wriggling out of his arms without waking him.

"…Sakura."

I was immobilized by the single articulation of that name from Hibari, who should hate anything that had to do with cherry blossoms after what Mukuro did. My face was on fire. "…Kyou-san…?"

I was released from his hold and was relieved to hear him yawn after a good nap like usual. "Ohayo, Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Frightening." I grinned.

* * *

***whistles* So now you see that Hibari and Oto's first meeting wasn't as peaceful as the one Mukuro showed. For the record, Oto didn't have a snowball's chance in hell in winning against Hibari in that fight without interference from Reborn and the balloon. (But, it's nice that she got lucky.) **

**Oh, but for curiosity's sake, which one did you prefer: Mukuro's version of how it started or the actual one? Expect more fillers in the training parts of the Varia arc. Nonetheless, has anyone figured why Mukuro tampered mostly with Oto's memories of Hibari? Heheheh…if not, you'll see in Mukuro's match…**

**REVIEW!!**


	8. Haru's Haru Haru Interview

**Disclaimer: NOT. EVEN. IN. MY. WILDEST. FANTASIES.**

* * *

*spotlight and curtain unfurls*

Haru: "Mina-san! Genki da? It's time for one of Haru's Haru Haru Interview, desu~!"

Reborn: "Oi, Haru. Stop wasting time and introduce today's guest. We have a schedule to keep."

Haru: "H-hai! Well today we have Oto Sakura-san!"

*elevator lowers down to stage level*

Haru: "E-e-eh?! Hibari-san!"

Hibari: "Hmph."

Reborn: "Where's Oto?"

Hibari: "Lost somewhere."

Haru: "Eh…but why is Hibari-san here?"

Hibari: *glare*

Haru: "G-gomenasai! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please don't bite me to death!" *cowers in fear*

*Oto enters the set, running*

Oto: "S…s…sorry…I got separated from Kyou-san and got lost on the way."

Reborn: "Oto's third greatest talent is getting lost."

Oto: "Ha ha, I like getting lost though. It lets me meet nice people."

Haru: _'How is that likeable?'_

Oto: "On my first journey to Namimori Middle, I somehow ended up on the roof instead of the train station, I think."

Hibari: "So you're directionally challenged, on top of being culinary inept as well?"

Oto: "So mean..."

Haru: "Reborn-chan, what's that?"

Reborn: "It's Fuuta's rankings for Oto."

Haru: "Let's see…Oto's Love rankings…"

Oto: "Stop! Stop! Yadaaaaaa! Don't read it!!"

*paper shredding in progress*

Oto: "…that was close."

Reborn: "Now let's move onto big screen."

*Reborn pushes a switch and a large screen appears*

Oto: "K-kya! Where did you find that?"

Reborn: "Let's start with Dino."

Haru: "Dino-san's kneeling down and kissing Oto-chan's hand!"

Romario: "That was when Oto-chan and the boss were younger. Boss proposed to her."

Oto& Dino: "I don't remember that happening!"

Reborn: "You don't? Ercole has it all on tape."

Hibari: *twitch*

Reborn: "Next person: Hibari Kyouya."

Oto: *falls over in shock*

Haru: "Hibari grabbed Oto by the tie and k--"

Reborn: "Wrong. Let's zoom in."

Haru: "Hahi! A stuffed toy version of Hibird?"

Reborn: "This was taken on White Day, by Dino."

Oto: *glances at Hibari*

Hibari: *turns head away sharply*

Reborn: "Next person: Mukuro Rokudo."

Haru: "K-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-k--"

Hibari: *snap*

Mukuro: "Oya? What have we here?"

Haru: "KISSUU~!"

Oto: "Mu-ku-ro…" *venomous aura*

Haru: "Hahi! S-sakura-chan?!"

Oto: "When. Was. This."

Mukuro: "When you were asleep."

Hibari: *draws out tonfas* "Are you ready to be bitten to death?"

Mukuro: "Are you envious that I got to do it before you did?" *takes out trident* "Please be much more entertaining than our last match."

Haru: "Hahi! This ends our segment of Haru's Haru Haru Interview. Look out for Haru's Haru Haru Interview Dangerous, next time. See you, again, desu~!"

Oto: "Where do you get these pictures?!"

* * *

…**I sketched a picture of Oto. Does anyone want to see it?**


	9. The Beginning of a Storm

**Sakura: ……**

**Sakuya: ……**

**Hibari: ……**

**Mukuro: ……**

* * *

The overwhelming sky above me was truly nostalgic. However, instead of the usual plain grassy fields, I seemed to be under a rather gigantic cherry blossom tree. Looking into my reflection in the pond, I noticed that my eyes were a strange shade of yellow that was bright enough to challenge the sun and I wasn't in the white dress that I typically wore in Mukuro's illusions. In its place was an incredibly flashy white kimono. Which could only mean, that this wasn't Mukuro's doing.

"……"

I turned around to see Sakuya, dressed in an elaborate kimono like mine, only in black. Moving away from the shadows of the tree, she intertwined her right hand in mine. "I'm here to give these back to you." She closed her eyes.

There was a strange pulsation that ran into me. It felt like my mind was about to split open. Vague images were flashing around like movie snippets, and my brain couldn't process the sudden burst of information correctly.

What was this feeling? Everything inside me was all jumbled up. I feel regret, sorrow and…

'_Kyouya...'_

No, I must be mistaken. My judgment must be clouded from the suddenness of events. It's all muddy inside and impossible to sort through.

"…now I don't owe you a thing." She finished.

I woke up to the loud ringing of the new cell phone Hibari had bought for me when he went to get his replaced. The background was the Namimori's emblem, while the ringtone was the alma mater (I wonder if that was the default?). It was nice, new and shiny unlike the old one that Hibird supposedly ate. Clicking on the lamp light, I checked to see who it was first like Hibari asked (ordered) me to. All of my contacts couldn't be forwarded to this phone, so I had no choice but to pick up.

"…hello?" I rubbed my eyelids, seeing that it was already morning.

[Is this Sakura-chan?] Oh, it was Takeshi.

I removed the bed sheets off my legs and turned my legs to the side of the bed. Yawning, I began unbuttoning my pajamas and walked over to the closet. "Uh-huh…"

[Me, Tsuna, and Gokudera are going to skip remedial today and hang out. Do you want to come? Kyoko and Haru are invited too.] He said.

"M'ok…" I mumbled, searching for something other than my middle school uniform to wear. "I'll meet you guys at the shopping district."

[Later, then.]

I got changed into the nearest shirt and skirt that I could get my hands on. Finding clothes won't be the hard part. No, the greatest trial to overcome would be getting permission from the supreme demon overlord. But, I won't go without a strategy…

Entering the demon's lair through the door by picking the lock, I carefully set my shoes aside. The overlord's familiar came to greet me, flying circles overhead. I hushed it to be quiet, lest I be bitten to death. Getting on to making the usual breakfast for Hibari (milk, tea, toast and bacon…can you guess what particular element other than cereal is missing from this?), I wrapped my checkered apron around to avoid unnecessary messes. Hibird flew away into the halls, meaning Kyouya had woken up.

It was time to put my plan into action.

He walked in, this time in a sweater vest instead of the usual black coat.

"Breakfast is served. You have the choice of drinking either tea or milk." I finished setting the table and took a seat. As I thought, he took the tea.

I sipped the tea from the milk. "Today is Sunday, which means only remedial classes. I've already made up all the exams that I missed with the teacher and they were all perfect scores (thank you for being alive, Hayato-kun), and finished tidying up the reception room and filing the documents. So…"

"Hmph." Hibari was ready to go out. "What's your reason for telling me this?"

I angled my hands into a triangle on the flour and bowed my head. "Please let me hang out with Kyoko-chan and Tsunayoshi-kun."

Although I didn't look up, I could feel the smirk forming on his lips. "So, you're taking the straight-forward approach."

"Yes, I realize it's a dirty trick…" I lifted my head and sat up properly. "…but I thought it might work best, because it's the Disciplinary Head after all."

I wasn't able to make out his response at the statement. There was an atmosphere similar to that of a daughter asking a father to go to some wild party alone and unescorted. "Fine." He bit into his toast and started gulping it down.

"…what?" I blinked.

"_Fine_." He repeated, finishing his bacon.

"Oh…" Wow, that was…more painless than I imagined. But just to make sure…I put a hand over his forehead and another over mine.

Hibari glared at the hand touching him. "What are you doing?"

"Checking to see if you're thinking straight..." I answered. I sprung back when I saw a dangerous flash of tonfas. "Yup, you're 100% healthy, Disciplinary Head. Please change into casual clothing after finishing your meal."

"……what are you going on about?" The expression on Hibari's face was priceless. It was like a mix of annoyance, confusion, and a very slight pinch of…not surprise…more like…hey, is that ambiguity?! I wasn't asking anything _dangerous_…wait. Hibari likes danger…I have the right to remain silent. (-_-;)

"Well, you know. I thought that it would be nice for us all to get together." When he didn't say anything, I started to worry a bit. Maybe I shouldn't ask him to. "…was that too much to ask for?"

Somehow the situation got reversed. Hibari tapped the back of his hand on my forehead, checking if I was in _my_ right state of mind. "...you're hiding something."

I jumped. "N-not at all…!"

Something (most likely a fist) hit me hard in the top of my head. "If you have something to say, say it outright."

You can never get anything past Hibari. _**Ever. **_That was one absolute thing that I've learned about in Namimori. "……Disciplinary Head, you're mean."

Another tonfa hit me. (Today wasn't a very good day for my head…)

"Ano…." I twiddled my fingers. My face grew hot and words once again had a hard time forming. "…u-um……I-I…I think…I think…um…what I-I'm trying to say is…" I shook my head. Now wasn't the time for something silly like that. "Never mind it's really not important."

Hibari sighed and began to make his way out. Before he went outside, he turned halfway to grab both of my cheeks and pulled relentlessly in opposite directions. "You're making a really stupid-looking face right now." He let go and closed the door. Giving up for the day, I tried not to think about things too much. Hibari was Hibari. 'Invincible' was the word. Forever 'Invincible' Hibari…

The skylark too far away from reach…

My cell phone rang again. "Hello?"

There was a lot of commotion at the end of the line, like something falling and tumbling over. It sounded very painful. And yet, there was only one person that came to mind when I heard this. […ow…]

"? Dino…?" I queried.

[Hello, Sakura-san.] The voice changed to Romario's. [Is it possible for you to meet us at Namimori Airport right now?]

"…so you've brought them?" I asked. "Does this mean a representative from CEDEF is here too?"

[Yes, that would be correct. He has already reached Namimori, but...]

There was a pause. Then Dino's voice came back on.

[_They_ are here, too.] He proclaimed. [But it should be alright, because they should be nowhere near Tsuna and his family at Namimori Middle School.]

"(=_=) Dino…" I slapped myself on the forehead. "Tsunayoshi-kun and co. are skipping remedial today, and we were all planning to go out today. And if my hunch is correct, they should be in trouble right now. Geez…talk about luck. Dino, I'm coming now. See you in a short while." I clicked the phone before hearing his response.

I attempted to redial Takeshi's phone.

It didn't connect.

Go figure.

Stalking out, I crashed Hibari was wearing a blue t-shirt instead of the usual blouse, while still wearing his prefect armband, though now he had his arms within the jacket sleeves (refer to back cover of Reborn! vol. 12). "…Too slow."

"Wh--"

"Let's go." He started walking off in the direction of the shopping district, looking 100% indifferent. I felt a small smile creep along my face. Feelings aside, just staying like this together was good enough. I stretched.

"Okay, let's play a game." I patted a hand to his shoulder. "You're it." I broke into a mad dash, towards where Tsuna and the others were. So far so good…perhaps there weren't that many Varia members that came to Namimori. We can only pray for that. When I craned my head back to check up on Hibari, he was on the rooftop just behind me. "GAAAAAAAHHH!!!" Did he fly up there?! Is that it?! As his rate, I might not just be caught…

I felt a tiny a prick to my arm but ignored it while I was preoccupied with running for my life.

By the time I reached Dino, I had already gotten 99 whacks unto my head. The last one, Hibari stated, was to be left for later. Why? Because Hibari is weird in many ways! But I feel refreshed now, like my worries were washed (scared) away. "Romario-san! Dino!!" I waved.

They turned to my direction and waved back, starting to get their stuff together. Hibari turned around. "I'll be taking my leave." I raised my hand to nip a small area of his jacket.

"Um…Disciplinary Head, thanks for coming all this way already…okay?" I rested my head on his back for a minute. "And thanks for coming to Kokuyo Middle School."

"It wasn't for you." Hibari said. "They were disrupting the peace."

"I never said that it was for me, but now that you said it…" I chuckled quietly, and placed my hand over his head. The strangely, warm, fuzzy, feeling had set in. I patted his head a little more.

"I'm not a dog." He rose up from the ground.

"Sorry, sorry." I chuckled. I turned around and made my way to greet Dino and his men. As I slowly walked towards them, Hibari swiftly yanked me by the collar.

"W-what…?" I croaked out. As if to answer my question, a tanto was jabbed into the hard concrete floor. That was close. "Dino, go on ahead! Someone's here to take the--"

I ducked, just barely. "Too weak…" I knew this voice. She fluidly jabbed me by the elbow. "Is that all you can do?"

That same voice and red hair: it was Sakuya. "…Sakuya…"

"Pathetic." She quickly maneuvered the nodachi and aimed directly for my throat. With a flash, I heard the harsh clanking of metal. I narrowly blocked the deadly blow, but my pistol had suffered damage. "…feh. How lucky…"

Before I could even take a single shot, the gun had been knocked out of my hand by the hilt of the sword. Not good. The nodachi swung downwards and I was barely able to stop it between my hands. I gulped. "You joined the Varia…"

Sakuya struggled to strike the blade and lower. In the middle of trying to force it, she silently smirked. Behind her, I saw the gleam of the tanto from earlier that was ready to cut me down.

"What do you think you're doing?" Hibari fended off the blade. Thrusting back his left arm, he struck a blow to Sakuya's abdomen and sent her flying. "?"

Sakuya clicked her tongue in disdain. The two charged straight at each other, ready to deliver the next blow. What was wrong with me today? I should be better than this, but I couldn't move right. …It couldn't be. I took a glance at my forearm to notice a new bruise. Did I get pricked with an anesthesia?

"Let's take leave for now." Dino voiced from behind me. Romario picked me up and we took our leave. "If she's here, then Tsuna must already be in trouble. Kyouya should be fine on his own, and we'd only get in the way."

I nodded. I can't believe how useless I am right now. It was vexing. "How pathetic can I get…?" I mumbled.

"Sakura-san…" Romario said.

I spotted a big puff of smoke in the distance. We arrived at the scene of the small, one-sided battle. Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto came into view as well as another person who was protecting Tsuna.

"Superbi Squalo…haven't changed a bit, I see." Dino coolly stated. He drew out and flexed his whip, preparing to engage in battle. "Forced to attack children? Tsk…must be embarrassing for you."

"Dino! And Sakura-san?!" Tsuna exclaimed.

"Bronco Dino?!" Squalo narrowed his eyes.

"You can stop this disgraceful display or deal with me; your choice." Dino got ready to attack.

"Romario, please put me down…" He lowered and tilted his arms to help my feet plant onto the ground. "I can't move much because of the anesthesia, but I'll be able to call for help for Hayato and Takeshi."

"Okay, I'll leave it to you." Dino and Romario promptly left for Tsuna.

I made my way to Yamamoto and Gokudera. I sighed in relief. "You're still breathing." I held out both hands to help them up.

"Where's Tsuna?"

"Is Juudaime alright?!"

I smiled care-freely. They really cared about Tsuna. "He's alright. Dino is with him and taking care of the Varia member that attacked you guys. Let's head there right now."

We dashed our way back to the mall square where Squalo seemed to have completed his objective and fled.

"Hey! You're okay!" Tsuna yelled.

"Which, as I said, is lucky…The two of you go home." Reborn spoke. "At your skill level, you'll just get in the way."

"!!"

"Reborn, you didn't have to--!!" Tsuna got cut off as Reborn dragged him away.

Reborn trotted on ahead. "It should be sinking in now. They were beaten with ridiculous ease. I imagine they'll chew on that pretty hard, so…let's leave them alone."

What Reborn was true, I had been careless. My body only kept on feeling heavier and heavier, but I pretended that I was just fine so that Gokudera and Yamamoto wouldn't notice. "I'll be going now."

"Hey, wait!!" Gokudera called.

"Be careful on your way home." I shortly waved at the two of them, and continued to walk on. 'Useless.' I thought. 'Completely, useless…'

Somehow, I wandered into the vicinity of the school. How strange. Dismissal should have been done over an hour ago. I've been acting funny since I woke up today. I leant against the window, and stared at the sky. The sun was about to set. "What am I doing…?"

"Ah, Saku-san…" Kusakabe greeted, on my way to the reception room for no apparent reason. He smiled softly. "Are you here to see Kyou-san?"

I looked down. "……" A small grin traced along my face. "Nope I just thought I'd come play with Hibird before I go home for the day."

Kusakabe's soft smile remained. "Would you like to take a seat inside?" I sheepishly nodded and went inside. Hibari was nowhere in sight. Kusakabe walked over to the hot water boiler and began to brew some tea. I quietly waited, and Kusakabe passed a cute white, feather printed cup. I remembered it…

"_Aaaaaaaah………so cuuuuute…." I practically drooled on the display window. I had my hands and head pressed against the glass to admire it. "Disciplinary Head, may I buy it?!"_

"_It's your money." Hibari said blandly._

"_Yes, but…" I cocked my head to Hibari. "I wanted one for you and Kusakabe too, so we'd match…oh! And one for Hibird too…!"_

_He nonchalantly turned away. "How stupid…"_

_I laughed. "Well, we're like family, you know?"_

_Hibari paused. I couldn't see his facial expression. "Do as you please."_

"_Yay!" My fists shot up and my legs simultaneously made a jump._

"Are you disappointed that Kyou-san isn't here?" Kusakabe broke the silence. I shook my head. "Really…?" I nodded. "Are you sure?" Once again, I nodded. "Well, if you say so." He took a sip out of his cup. "Do you want to tell me what's been bothering you?"

"Nothing at all…" I lied.

"Saku-san, you should learn to become more honest with yourself…" He set his cup down. "It's alright to tell someone your troubles every so often."

I set down my cup. "…I think I've been too much of a burden on the Disciplinary Head."

"Is that all?" I nodded. Kusakabe sighed in relief. "Then you can rest at peace." Hibird flew through the window and landed next to my cup. "Kyo-san doesn't do anything that he feels is unimportant. That's why you don't have to give it too much thought."

I nodded, not looking up from Hibird, and reached for my cup.

"Saku-san, do you have some you like right now?"

I was about to drop my cup. "W-w-w-w-w-what makes you say t-that?" My hands were shaking uncontrollably.

"No reason, really..." He took another drink from his cup. "Ah, it's already that time."

"Eh…?"

The door slid open. "So this is where you ran off to."

"Ah, Dis--" I was cut off.

"Being absent from remedial classes, entering the reception room without my consent, remaining on school grounds when dismissal was long over…" Hibari walked over and lifted up my arm. "…and carelessly becoming vulnerable to the enemy." He pulled my arm along and leaving the reception room. "I'll have to thoroughly bite you to death when I get home."

Resistance was futile. I nearly tripped over my own foot to catch up to his pace. "…what happened to Sakuya?"

"She ran away in the middle." Hibari responded.

"I see…" We halted to a stop. "Ah…Disciplinary Head, is something the matter?" He whirled around and hit me on the head. "Itai…"

"That was hit number 100." Hibari stated. "The face you have right now annoyed me enough to remind me."

I stared blankly at Hibari for a few seconds. It's no good. Carrying around such a complicated expression wasn't like me at all. I curved my lips up and tried as hard as I could to return to being how I was before. "What about this face?"

"It's twice as annoying." He started walking again.

"(T-T) I see..." I mumbled.

"...but it's not bad, once in a while. Rare kinds (of herbivores) should stay lively." Hibari responded.

"Yessir!" I didn't know why, but I couldn't stop smiling on the way home. It's like all of the anxiety I had bubbled into something warm. Maybe this is more of Hibari's invincibility...

* * *

I listened to Ai no Uta by Every Little Thing when doing the second half of this chapter. The song is so mooeeeeee~


End file.
